ComboBox

DropDownList and ComboBox Modes

Depending on whether you want the user to be able to type text in the input or not, you can choose to use RadComboBox either as a simple dropdown list or a full-featured combobox control. In simple scenarios where you don’t need the vast amount of features of RadComboBox, we recommend that you use our more lightweight and better performing DropDownList control.

Data Binding

You can ddd items to the Telerik ASP.NET Combo Box declaratively, programmatically or via the Design-Time Wizard. Alternatively, you can codelessly bind it to any ASP.NET data source component, including EntityDataSource, LinqDataSource, SqlDataSource, XmlDataSource, ObjectDataSource, SiteMapDataSource, etc. Programmatic binding to DataSet, DataView, DataTable is also easy to achieve. Populating the control with data directly from an XML file, via the .NET 4.5 Model Binding, as well as via Web Services is also supported.

Load Items on Demand for Optimal Performance

For enhanced user experience, leverage one of the options for loading items on demand:

The key gains of using load on demand are loading items on portions, allowing users to scroll to the bottom of the item list without waiting for all of the items to load (Virtual Scrolling), and items caching. All of this results in better responsiveness of your app.

Single and Checkbox Selection

Users can select single or multiple items. Enable the built-in checkbox support with just one property to have the ComboBox render checkboxes next to each of its items. “Select/Deselect All” functionality is available out-of-the-box as well.

Filtering

Help users find what they are looking for faster by enabling filtering. RadComboBox supports two types of filters: “Contains” and “StartsWith.” For optimized performance, in load on demand scenarios and you are allowed to specify upon how many characters typed by the user the combo should start displaying results.

Searching Within a Web Site or App

RadComboBox can be used in scenarios when you want to make your web site or app searchable, but since this was a widely used feature, we created a control specifically designed for this purpose – SearchBox, which also allows you to add custom buttons to the input.

Text With Icons

You can easily support the Combo Box text items with a corresponding image.

Automatic Orientation and Dropdown Width Calculation

RadComboBox automatically detects the screen boundaries and determines the best direction (up or down) in which to expand its dropdown. The control also automatically adjusts the width of its dropdown depending on the text entries it needs to display.

Overlay

Telerik ComboBox for ASP.NET AJAX fully supports overlay, which enables the control dropdown to appear above other elements on the page, including flash objects.

Classic, Lightweight and Native Rendering Modes

Depending on your scenario, switch between three rendering modes: Classic, Lightweight and Native. Classic rendering ensures the control looks identical in all browsers, but delivers more HTML to the browser. Lightweight rendering leverages HTML5 and CSS3 to deliver less HTML to the browser, but causes the control to lose its rounded corners and gradients in non-modern browsers. The Native rendering allows you to render RadComboBox as a standard select HTML element on mobile devices, so it has the native mobile behavior.

Hierarchy or TreeView in ComboBox

Featuring hierarchical data in a dropdown is also a commonly used scenario, which due to customer demand, led to the creation of a control specifically designed for this purpose: DropDownTree.

AutoComplete

Turn on AutoComplete to enable RadComboBox to autocomplete the text entered by the user to the first matching item and open a drop down with suggested results. Set a maximum result or a minimum characters typed count to enhance the search experience.

If autocomplete is the main functionality you are looking for, and especially if you’d like to have tokens in addition to the text, check out our more lightweight and better-performing AutoCompleteBox control which was specifically designed for this purpose.

Templates for Advanced Customizations

To modify the look of Telerik ASP.NET ComboBox, define templates on the server or the client. You can customize each part of the drop down: the items, the header and the footer. You can use the item templates to create a multi-column ComboBox.

Built-In Skins

Use a single property to apply any of the 20 ready-to-use built-in themes, including an innovative mobile skin, to create a consistent look for your apps and save design and front-end development time. You can easily customize our existing skins or create your own with our Visual Style Builder.

Mobile Support

Why should you build a mobile version of your application when the same app can work equally well on mobile and desktop devices? Telerik ASP.NET ComboBox makes this possible by handling touch events in the same manner as those triggered by a keyboard or a mouse. In addition, the control comes with a mobile skin specially designed for a better user experience on touch devices.

Visual Studio Integration and Design-Time Support

Install Telerik UI for ASP.NET AJAX, the suite containing RadComboBox, to get the control available in your Visual Studio Toolbox. Drag and drop it onto the design surface and use the SmartTag, the Properties Window or the rich Design-Time wizards to codelessly configure the control and make it fully functional.

Accessibility and Internationalization

Telerik Combo Box for ASP.NET AJAX was built for compliance with major accessibility standards including W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0/2.0 and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Leverage the built-in WAI-ARIA support by changing a single property to have the control render appropriate WAI-ARIA roles. Set the direction attribute to “rtl” to make your Combo work in a right-to-left mode. For international applications, use global or local resources to completely localize the control.

Rich Server-Side and Client-Side API for Maximum Flexibility

Use the rich API to manipulate RadComboBox with code and implement advanced and specific scenarios. All the properties and events you need are available both on the server and on the client so you can choose the programming approach that suits you best.

Integration With the Standard ASP.NET Validators

Use Telerik’s ASP.NET Combo Box control with the standard ASP.NET validators to prevent the user from submitting wrong or incomplete data to the server. You can also set the value to the ValidationGroup property so that the control triggers validation for specific group of form elements.

Full Control Over the ComboBox Look and Behavior

Leverage the support for custom CSS classes to create a unique appearance of the dropdown items. To create custom logic, utilize the support for custom attributes and assign their values inline or programmatically (both client-side and server-side).

Keyboard Support

RadComboBox allows your users to use the keyboard for almost any action they can trigger with the mouse, including navigating items, selecting single and multiple items, etc. Specify which keys should be used for each action and get full control over the keyboard navigation experience.

Progress, Telerik, and certain product names used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Progress Software Corporation and/or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates in the U.S. and/or other countries. See Trademarks for appropriate markings.